How Do U Recover?

What are you doing to get back on the court the next day after a tough match? Are you taking supplements? Ice baths? Any specific foods to target? How do u shake the soreness to prepare for battle the following day?

What are you doing to get back on the court the next day after a tough match? Are you taking supplements? Ice baths? Any specific foods to target? How do u shake the soreness to prepare for battle the following day?

I think it's hard to find a instantaneous solution for recovering well enough for the next day. You can eat all those super foods and take a bath in the antarctic, and they certainly help. But, if you're not in good tennis shape, you're just not going to recover as fast as someone who is in tennis shape.

Put in the gym time, do your stretches to keep you muscles/tendons flexible, and get your body ready to play back to back.

Every 2 months or so, I set aside a week to play 7days nonstop. Just so my body is used to playing consecutive days.

The #1 most important factor is eating a meal of carbs and protein AS SOON AS POSSIBLE when you're done playing. The sooner the better. This is huge and most people don't do it. After this, the basics like stretching and adequate sleep are all you should need if you're in good shape.

Is this my new member initiation from the hall of famers or something?? :???:

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I of course was trying to make a joke. On a more serious note and others will tell you, playing back to back days is not great idea long term. Unlike walking, swimming and cross country skiing, tennis is very hard on your body and does damage to your body every time out. With any court based sport, to perform at a high level you have to be willing put your joints at risk along with other key body parts. While there is some great advice in this thread. on how to recover (if you do indeed need to play the next day), the best way to recover is to rest. BTW... you should not be using tennis to get into shape, you should be in tennis shape before you hit the courts.

What are you doing to get back on the court the next day after a tough match? Are you taking supplements? Ice baths? Any specific foods to target? How do u shake the soreness to prepare for battle the following day?

If I have to play matches on consecutive days, I try to get a lot of sleep (12 hours or more) in-between matches and also a decent amount of stretching. I also run at least a mile a day (average of four per day) so I might just run one and make it up later in the week. It can be difficult to run four miles after a tough match.

BTW, I try to avoid scheduling matches on consecutive days as I'm not a young guy anymore. The running just makes it tougher.

There are a lot of myths and outright falsehoods about recovery, and the USTA does a pretty good job of reviewing the best available data.

Here are some samples:

"As little as a 2% loss in body weight, due to dehydration, can have a major negative effect on muscle strength and power."

"Having recovery drinks and food that contain sufficient levels of sodium is helpful for a number of purposes:
- Replaces the sodium that is lost in sweat
- Stimulates glucose (energy) absorption by
the muscles
- Increases the athletes drive to drink
- May reduce the symptoms of exertional
heat cramps, exertional heat exhaustions
and exertional hyponatremia."

"DELAYED ONSET MUSCLE SORENESS (DOMS)
DOMS arises from the damage and repair processes that result from unaccustomed exercise with a high eccentric focus. The duration of DOMS is directly related to the exercise overload, amount of tissue damage and the fitness level of the athlete. Typically pain is at its peak between 24-72 hours, but it can last as long as 10 days."

"Sport Massage
Although massage does feel good and provides a sensation of reducing tight
muscles, little scientific evidence is available to support claims such as improved blood flow, improved muscle strength, or significant reductions in muscle soreness. However, many studies have shown an improvement in psychological factors such as mood and well-being."

"Sleep
Although sleep is an area that is not yet well understood, it could be the most important form of recovery. A good night sleep between 7-9 hours provides invaluable adaptation time to adjust the physical, neurological, immunological and emotional stressors that are experienced during the day."

Good advice here. Pay attention to the mental and emotional side. Just as important, maybe more. Need to reover, refocus, figure out what went wrong, what went right, what you are going to do next time out etc. Sometimes you won the first match- too cocky. Lost the first match- no confidence.

What exactly does the foam rolling do? I'm all for anything that could possibly help, but it doesn't do jack for me so I guess it's an individual thing, unlike most of the other tips in this thread. I mean, I know dozens of seriously competitive athletes - including 3 professional athletes - and as far as I know none of them do this foam rolling business. But they all do focus on nutrient timing, nutrient ratios, stretching, and REST.

Some great responses here, thank u! I strongly recommend the foam rolling as well. If you're not feeling anything while doing it, especially if you have sore muscles, you might not be using it properly.

Where can I get this done and what are approximate charges (in case med.ins doesn't cover it)?

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Most people are able to get this done through their primary care physician.

You absolutely should ask what the cost of the testing is - it can vary widely as labs/hospitals have multiple price levels depending on what your insurer can bargain them down to during negotiations.

And your insurer can cover all the cost under the "annual physical" - or have significant charges or copays for the blood and urine work.

Perhaps a word on the recommendation for such testing.
It is mainly directed at those playing/training at a fairly intense level.
Still, my nephew was found to have an asymptomatic fairly serious kidney problem just last month having a "routine" urine test going out for the GOLF team.